This invention relates generally to a dart board backboard, and more particularly, to a folding backboard that folds and unfolds between an open position in which a dart board is readily mounted to the backboard, and a closed position for storage and/or transportation of the backboard when the dart board is removed from the backboard.
Conventional dart board backboards are cumbersome to use because of their size. The width and height of a conventional backboard is usually larger than the diameter of a dart board making it burdensome to handle. In addition, mounting a conventional backboard to a wall, or some other fixed surface that requires protection from poorly thrown darts, can be cumbersome.
Another problem with conventional backboards is that they are relatively expensive. Conventional backboards are usually manufactured as part of a cabinet which has an extensive number of parts and requires a great deal of assembly. Conventional cabinets are quite large and have a width, height and thickness larger than a conventional dart board. The overall size of conventional dart cabinets, which often include a dart board, make them unwieldy such that it is difficult to store the cabinet or move it to another location. The size and design of conventional dart cabinets makes it cumbersome to mount them to a wall or some other fixed surface.
Conventional dart cabinets also secure a variety of dart-related accessories inside, including darts, a chalkboard, a rule-chart, chalk and/or an eraser. Adding assorted accessories to conventional game cabinets makes them even larger, more expensive, harder to assemble and more difficult to mount.
One attempt at providing such a dart cabinet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,501,149. This patent discloses a dart cabinet comprising a circular dart board which is mounted so that it can be rotated from time to time to provide a fresh dart receiving surface on a dart board. This particular dart cabinet also comprises doors, sides, a top, a bottom, legs, and a backboard making it extremely bulky, expensive, and difficult to assemble. The size and weight of the cabinet also makes it quite difficult to mount on a wall or some other fixed surface.
Another dart cabinet, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,974, shows a target and a one-piece backboard mounted behind the target enclosed within a cabinet. The target is exposed by opening a pair of cabinet doors which are mounted to the sidewalls of the cabinet such that when the cabinet doors are swung open the interior portion of each door functions as an extension to the backboard. As with U.S. Pat. No. 3,501,149, the size and weight of this particular cabinet makes it extremely bulky, expensive, difficult to assemble, and very cumbersome to mount to a wall, or some other fixed surface.
A typical dart board backboard is shown in U.S. Pat. No. D328,726 which shows a dart board and catcher with the catcher being larger in width and height than the diameter of the dart board.
Further examples of prior art include U.S. Pat. Nos. D387,388 and 4,151,996. However, none of these references provide a folding dart board backboard capable of receiving a dart board thereon, that is inexpensive to manufacture, requires little or no assembly, and is easily mounted to a wall or some other fixed surface. In addition, none are capable of being reduced to a smaller size for easy storage and transportation while still allowing for quick and simple mounting of a dart board to a backboard. All of these features are strongly desired in an inexpensive dart board backboard by dart enthusiasts.